Donald Trump Uses Pulse Orlando Shooting Anniversary To Self-Promote

One year ago, Donald Trump tried to co-opt the Pulse Orlando shooting to promote his agenda and his candidacy for President. Now, he’s in the White House, and on the anniversary of this horrible mass murder, Trump tried to pass off a ‘never forget’ tweet as his effort to honor and remember the victims.

However, the public has been watching, and is well aware there’s no honor in what Trump has done to the LGBTQ+ community in America. His actions as President only amplify the harms and risks, and social media users didn’t let his minimalist faux-recognition of these victims, sandwiched between self-congratulatory promotional tweets, go without comment.

Here’s a look back at how Trump responded to the Pulse Orlando shooting last year.

Horrific incident in FL. Praying for all the victims & their families. When will this stop? When will we get tough, smart & vigilant?

This was a tragedy that was about the LGBTQ+ community, about hate, about marginalization, about the dangers of not being cishet in 2016 America. Trump took it and made it about himself, his war on Islam, and his petty political opposition to Obama.

He even went on to warn that this attack was ‘just the beginning,’ adding a hint that the way to prevent further such attacks was to place him, Donald Trump, in power.

Meanwhile, the then-President of the United States, and his Vice President, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, paid their respects to the victims, placed flowers at the memorial, and released a statement of inclusion and of valuing all Americans.

Joe and I were talking on the way over here — you can’t make up the world into “us” and “them,” and denigrate and express hatred towards groups because of the color of their skin, or their faith, or their sexual orientation, and not feed something very dangerous in this world.

“So if there was ever a moment for all of us to reflect and reaffirm our most basic beliefs that everybody counts and everybody has dignity, now is the time.

A year later, Donald Trump is officially POTUS and is already doing harm to LGBT+ people.

In February, barely a month after entering office, NY Times reports that Trump revoked guidelines the Obama Administration had issued for protecting transgender students in thepublic school system. He has also appointed some of the most blatantly anti-LGBTQ+ individuals available to government positions. The Intercept has a great list of some of his staff’s anti-gay positions and actions. In short form, they’ve supported anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, supported funneling money into masures to harm LGBTQ+ people, and promoted propaganda that helps fight against LGBTQ+ rights.

Yet when the anniversary of this mass murder, this act of hate on a community that is growing and fighting for the right to be visible, the right to exist in as much safety as any other American, and the right to expect access to the same services and privileges as cishet Americans, rolled around, Trump ws ready to capitalize on it again, by tweeting in pretense of support.

He plopped the tweet down between two tweets promoting Fox News and Fox and Friends, one of those promoting an interview with his daughter Ivanka in which she complains that people are really mean to her daddy, and the other a self-congratulatory tweet promoting Trump’s own actions in opening a new coal mine, in 2017.

Vice President Pence also retweeted the Pulse tweet. Not only did he squeeze it between two tweets centered around stroking Trump’s ego and reputation, he turned the tweet itself into a special moment to celebrate Donald Trump.

Under @POTUS Trump, America will be strong. We will be strong in our conviction that our cause is just and freedom is worth defending. pic.twitter.com/ao0w7WWFlf

On the White House’s Facebook page, as well, where, as of Monday afternoon, no official mention of the Pulse Orlando murders had surfaced, members of the public addressed the President.

Where is ANYONE from this administration in the one year anniversary of the 49 people that were killed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando? To this day, NO ONE in this administration has gone there to pay their respects ……..that’s disgusting!

Donald Trump and Mike Pence can offer their Twitter condolences while sitting back and signing off on further legislation to hurt the LGBTQ+ community, but they aren’t fooling anyone — and the American public is letting them know it.

Steph Bazzle reports on social issues and religion for Hill Reporter. She focuses on stories that speak to everyone's right to practice what they believe in and receive the support of their communities and government officials. You can reach her at Steph@HillReporter.com